Such a device is known from U.S. Pat. No. 4,505,370. This device serves in particular for taking back metal cans. It has a housing that encloses apparatuses that are used in the subsequent handling and if necessary processing of inserted cans. The device also has an intake chute accessible from the outside that takes in empty containers as bulk material and has a bottom that slopes downward in the intake direction. In order to prevent and hinder the insertion of excessively large objects, the intake opening of the intake chute is covered by a grate with a suitable grid. The grate is formed by rods crossing each other. The disadvantage of this solution is that empty containers inserted as bulk material can accumulate on the grill, e.g., by getting stuck, and thereby prevent passage into the intake chute so that a large amount of manual intervention is required to ensure or restore admission into the intake chute.